, 1887-11-17
Cooperative Colony Matters

"l''i"Il'C SCIONS matters
i"Gr ToW&~ENr, W. T. Nov. 10.
/ EnIruE AErU-:-Iu the Ergaiul
. can there appears an extract from
III" letter of Port Angeles cores
I Fondcut to the Tacoma Lc,}ljrrchargr
ing that the officers Of the Puscl
/ sound Cooperative Colony had fail
/ rd To- make Il financial report, in vip-
! !alIou Of the BY laws; thai the officers
/ W"rr keeping back tn" accounts ui
/ the colony, and tlut the Ha{rI Co...
m"Hw"uiN had been telling fibs about
the number OF acres owned by Tia,
corporation. Now if these statement,
al" untrue grcviDUs wrong has been
/ pcIp@trut"d upon Il good rau-r with
uut any benefit resulting to the cor
respondent or To the CuH trust
you Will therefore allow me = short
reply L. the same. As to he tinau
eIal statement being kept hack by the
officers OF the Colony II Is entirely
false. Not o#Iy has there been Il full
H!iancial statement reported to the
Board OF Trustees and read in the
public meeting of the culonists. bat
Tor the past several months the. Sec
retny las given weekly financial
statements 10 the Board and the same
have been read with the minutes of
the Board at the weekly meetings of
the colonistS. Indeed, have the affairs
OF ihe colony been 80 frequently re-
ported by the Secretary TO individual
colonists and the Board, that there is
scarcely colouist who is not kept
constantly informed a. to the whole
amount of money which has been
received and expended. and how ex
pended, with other important items
For waht of sufficient clerical and the
books OF the colony. lis to items, have
not been balanced, nor are they in as
complete il condition us may be de
sired. Every effort, however. is being
made 50 that every item may bc
known by any one desiring to look
into the books, and Ii committee l.;
now at work to examine and make
corrections i'll the last financial report
which, owing to its fuincss and the
difficulties which the Secretary en-
CUUntprcd Tor want of sufficient help.
cOGlk not have ! cen Us reliable as all
of us desired. No cUnceaIment can
be charged against the Secretary's
office on 10 any of the officers, as the
books and the accounts of the colsny
have always been freely open to ex-
animation, and correction where nee
essary, and free for the work nf all
experts, with vouchers and other aids
by which most correct and itemized
account of every matter needing
light, which cannot be discovered 10y
the present state of the books. But
with the close and open accounts
which the Board and the colunista
have kept as to the amount Of money
received and expended by weekly
reports and other important items no
charge of coLcealment should be
made against the officers.
The CdH also freely quotes the IN
formation as to suits for wages hay
ing been commenced the Colony by
j. J. Knoff and l.. L. Vail 1t also
adds my name gratuitOusiy as 4 de-
fendant, which is not the case This
is another item calculated TO injure
the credit of tEc colony. 1t is un-
fortunate lis it not cruelty unjust p
that some effort was not made to get
at and report the truth on our side.
These suits We're brought by colonists
who left the colony for the colony's
good. The colonists do not draw out
their wages, except small sums for
necessary use outside the colony III
case Of emergency. The bylaws
do fl.at nIfh hL.
be given for the withdrawal of funds
This was done to prevent run upon
the finances of the colony by Just
such disatfected cOlonists a5 kuOtf
ane Vail. Every colonist knows that
the colony cannot afford TO pay in
money for the first year the wages of
the cUlonists; that the main princi
pal of the colony Is that the results
of Their labor shall be expended in
homes and the comforts u! life, and
that the surplus to he allowed to
accumulate III capital to increase
the industries, resources of employ
ment ond other powers and advan-
tagcs which are to result to the indi-
vidnal benefit of the workers III the
same ratio that the corporation OK
pands It's powers. Otherwise tho
colony could not afford 10 pay the
high wages it does now. Knotf, for
instance, rated himself SL25 per day
and was paid that rate for most of
the time, He never expected TO
demand that sum in cash until he
became disatfected. OF course the
action of these men now Is spite
work. But the colony and its officers
do not attempt to deny full payment
to him or any other person of any
sum due. 1t is, however, the duty of
its officers to contest unreasonable
demands and any run made upon its
resources which may be calculated to
sacrifice the means of others invested
in the colony The statement OF our
paper as to the amount of land owned
by the colony was Il mistake of the
reporter before it was definitely
known how much land the colony
owned If papers reporting such
items will not allow prejudice to in
tiuencc them they Will either not be
ready to report them, or examine
and report the true inwardness Of
them. Respectfully Yours,
GEO. NENABLE SMITH.
ThankSpiyinU Proclamation.